Rabat Morocco 6 Day Itinerary
Most visitors to Morocco skip straight to Marrakech or Fez, which is a mistake. Rabat is the country’s administrative capital, a UNESCO World Heritage city, and calm enough that you can actually think. The medina here does not swallow you whole.
Day 1: Arrival and First Impressions
Rabat-Sale Airport (RBA) sits about 10 kilometres from the city centre. Official petit taxis from the rank directly outside Arrivals charge a fixed rate of around 150 MAD (roughly 14 euros) during the day and 200 MAD at night, and the ride takes about 20 minutes in normal traffic. There is a signboard at the rank with the rates. Ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal.
Check in to the Villa Mandarine in the Souissi neighbourhood if your budget allows. It is a riad-style hotel set in an orange grove, with rooms from around 900 MAD per night, and the calm it provides is worth the slightly peripheral location. Budget travellers do well at the Hotel Balima on Avenue Mohammed V, which puts you within walking distance of the train station and the medina.
After settling in, walk down to the Kasbah des Oudayas in the late afternoon, when the whitewashed blue-trimmed walls catch the light off the Atlantic. The 12th-century Almohad gate at the entrance is one of the finest pieces of military architecture in Morocco. Skip the self-appointed guides who appear at the gate and wander the alleyways yourself. The kasbah is small enough to navigate instinctively. The terrace overlooking the mouth of the Bou Regreg river is better than any sunset bar in the country.
Dinner at Dinarjat, inside a restored Arab-Andalusian townhouse in the medina. The set menu runs about 250 to 300 MAD and includes pastilla, tagine, and dessert with mint tea. Book a day ahead.
Day 2: Monuments and the Royal Quarter
Start at the Hassan Tower complex when it opens at 9am. Entry is free. The unfinished minaret from 1195 and the 400-odd columns of the ruined mosque are best understood when you know that the Almohad sultan who commissioned it died before completion, and no one ever resumed the project. Plan 45 minutes here. The adjacent Mausoleum of Mohammed V is guarded by soldiers in ceremonial dress and the interior tilework is exceptional. Arrive before the tour groups at 10am.
From there, walk or take a petit taxi (10 MAD) to the Chellah Necropolis, which most itineraries underplay. This Roman city turned medieval Islamic necropolis is overgrown with storks nesting in the minaret, wild cats weaving through the ruins, and bougainvillea climbing the walls. Entry costs around 70 MAD. Give it 90 minutes. The garden areas near the tombs are quiet enough to eat a packed lunch, which is the right move.
In the evening, eat at Dar Zaki in the medina for seafood pastilla and lamb tagine. It is genuinely popular with Rabatis, which is the best endorsement available. Book ahead.
Day 3: Museums and the Corniche
The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Mohammed VI (MMVI) on Avenue Moulay Hassan opened in 2014 and holds the strongest collection of Moroccan modern art in the country. Give it two hours. The permanent collection alone is worth the visit, and the temporary exhibitions have featured major international names.
After lunch at Café Weimar near the museum (a relaxed spot with good sandwiches and coffee, popular with students and embassy staff), take an afternoon at Plage de Rabat, the city beach stretching south from the kasbah. It is less crowded than the Atlantic coast resorts and works fine for a swim from May through October. Locals warn that the current can pull south of the lifeguard zone, so stay in the flagged area.
For dinner, the Agdal district is where Rabatis actually eat out. The stretch along Rue Mahaj Riad has good options at every price. Restaurant Cosmopolitan in Agdal is a reliable mid-range choice with a courtyard and an international menu. For something more local, walk a few blocks and find a hole-in-the-wall serving harira, msemen, and kefta brochettes for under 50 MAD.
Day 4: Day Trip to Casablanca
The ONCF train from Rabat Ville station to Casablanca Port runs roughly every 30 minutes from 6am. The journey takes about 55 minutes and costs around 60 MAD second class. Buy your ticket at the machine to avoid queues.
At the Hassan II Mosque, entry for non-Muslims is permitted on guided tours only (120 MAD, tours at 9am, 10am, 11am, 2pm). The mosque sits on the Atlantic and can hold 25,000 worshippers inside and another 80,000 in the forecourt. The retractable roof is the detail people forget to mention. Book the tour in advance online during peak months.
Skip the Corniche shopping malls. Instead, walk the Villa des Arts de Casablanca neighbourhood and grab lunch at the La Sqala restaurant inside the 18th-century city ramparts near the old medina. It is a tourist spot, but a good one, with a courtyard garden and solid bastilla.
Return to Rabat by 6pm and eat somewhere close to the hotel. You have walked a lot.
Day 5: Souks, Hammam, Crafts
The Rue Souika and the covered souk passages off it are the best places to buy Moroccan craft in Rabat. The selection includes Fez-style ceramics, Rabati carpets with geometric patterns specific to this region, and leatherwork. Prices are somewhat fixed compared to Marrakech, and shopkeepers are less aggressive. Still negotiate 20 to 30 percent off the first price offered on larger items.
The Ensemble Artisanal on Rue Tariq ibn Ziad is a government-run craft centre where prices are fixed and quality is vetted. It is a useful benchmark before you bargain elsewhere, not necessarily the best value.
Spend the afternoon at a hammam. Hammam Moulay Youssef near the medina is a working neighbourhood hammam, not a tourist spa, which makes it more interesting. Bring your own kessa glove or buy one outside for 10 MAD. The full experience, including a massage from an attendant, costs around 80 MAD.
For dinner, try Le Ziryab near Bab el Had for a mid-range Moroccan spread with live Andalusian music some evenings. Check before you go.
Day 6: Morning Wander and Departure
The medina in the early morning, before 9am, is a different city. Bread sellers, school children, men heading to the mosque. Walk Rue des Consuls one more time and pick up anything you missed. The fruit and vegetable stalls near Bab el Had are for looking, not buying (you are about to leave), but the atmosphere is worth ten minutes.
Check out and take the same fixed-fare petit taxi back to RBA. Allow 45 minutes from central Rabat during morning rush hour, when the journey that took 20 minutes on arrival can extend considerably.
Things to know:
- Petit taxis in Rabat are blue and metered within the city. At night, meters tick at 50 percent more. Always confirm the meter is running, or agree on a price before you get in.
- Dress conservatively in the medina and at religious sites. A light layer that covers shoulders and knees is sufficient and packs flat.
- The best month to visit is October, when summer heat has dropped, the Atlantic is still warm, and the city’s cultural season is beginning. June is hot and dry, tolerable but not ideal.
- Do not hand money directly to beggars near the Mausoleum of Mohammed V. It draws a crowd and becomes uncomfortable quickly. A small donation to one of the neighbourhood mosques is a quieter way to give.
- Cash is essential. Many medina restaurants and hammams do not take cards. ATMs on Avenue Mohammed V are the most reliable.